TDP-BJP alliance: Parties still ironing out differences

Practically six working hours are left for nominations for April 30 elections in Telangana to close but alliance partners Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and BJP are still ironing out their differences over certain seats each plans to contest, sources said tonight.

BJP is yet to announce its candidates for 47 assembly and eight Lok Sabha seats it would contest while TDP has not yet announced its nominees for 45 assembly and eight Lok Sabha seats. 

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TDP had announced its first list of 27 assembly and three parliamentary candidates yesterday. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu and BJP Telangana unit president G Kishan Reddy are closeted in talks at the former's residence unil late tonight to sort out differences over certain assembly segments, sources said. 

TDP has kept its list ready but stopped short of announcing it since issues with BJP are still being sorted out, sources said. TDP is said to be facing internal problems after certain senior leaders insisted on Lok Sabha tickets though the party is interested in fielding them only for assembly elections. Chandrababu Naidu is talking to those leaders and asking them to work in the party's interests, sources said. 

TDP and the Lok Satta Party could not reach any understanding over Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituency, sources said. As such, Lok Satta Party national president N Jayaprakash Narayan will fight the election on his own with the TDP candidate also in fray. Both BJP and TDP are expected to announce their lists by midnight or early tomorrow morning, sources said.